


How To Care For a Tsundere Horcrux

by focusedfun



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: De-Aged Severus Snape, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-06-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:34:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 18,289
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22699489
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/focusedfun/pseuds/focusedfun
Summary: Harry Potter finds it hard to decide what to do with his life after the War. And a De-Aged Severus who has friends and tries to control his temper but fails at the most unexpected times doesn't help Harry's confusion at all.(So it's another Snarry & De-Aged Severus fanfic, I know! But I tried to make it my own.)
Relationships: Harry Potter & Severus Snape, Harry Potter/Severus Snape, Snarry - Relationship
Comments: 68
Kudos: 185





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome everyone!
> 
> Unfortunately, I don't have a beta, so please enter at your own risk.
> 
> I haven't forgotten about my other ongoing stories either, I promise! This is just my way to defeat an author's block. Write more!

Since they were adults, they received their own rooms at Hogwarts.

Returning to the school which always was their home was like an embrace from an old, familiar friend. Even with some damages to its structure, it was a place of their childhood, unchanged.

Yet, they personally couldn't have been any different. 

Ron, the trickster in many ways grew up so much he rather didn’t return to school but split his time between helping out George and his parents. George couldn’t manage the store alone, and their parents lost the Burrow, their family also grieving.

Hermione also finally stopped nagging people about the marks they got on every homework, essay, and test. Instead, she submitted the DADA club officially for approval and begun teaching everyone, even magicals as young as first-years. She also worked at the Library part-time, helping out Madam Pince. Harry supposed it was her way of finding a cause that was worth fighting, as Ron’s support of his family was a showcase of his strength. Harry wished he had something like that.

It’s not because he didn’t count on surviving the war that he didn’t have any concrete plans where he should go with his future. Even before, saying he wanted to become an Auror was just a choice of convenience since he was good with DADA. And he was only good because he had practiced a lot with Remus.

He picked up Quidditch again, true, and trained the team of Gryffindor, even if he no longer participated in games because of his age which could be considered an unfair advantage. It was a good way to get out of his head, yet it was supposed to be a thing that he did when he didn't pursue his goals in life, not the only thing he did.

So when acting Headmistress McGonagall was calling after him on the corridor, he turned the corner quite quickly, pretending not to hear, avoiding her. She was like a mother to him. How could he disappoint her so when she told him she was looking forward to talking to him about his future again?

It felt like the whole Wizarding World was waiting for his answer on the topic, and he was used to it, but it certainly didn't help. What was he supposed to do?

If fate existed like Dumbledore and Voldemort led everyone to believe with the prophecy, why didn't it pull Harry in one direction or another?

Of course, the answer might have been in the question. He was Dumbledore’s man throughout. Dumbledore was his guide on the other side, his mentor. A light that you can follow in the dark, much like Ron’s Deluminator. Yet, Dumbledore also controlled Harry, as a puppet master would a toy.

Making Harry just run away to get a shower after a gruesome practice, oblivious to the real reason why Minerva wanted to talk to him.


	2. Chapter 2

Harry found Luna at the Great Hall and sat down at the table that used to be the Hupplepuff table. Starting this year, all the students sat where they wanted. 

They were waiting for Hermione and Ginny to join them, exchanging niceties with Nearly Headless Nick about Hagrid’s new hobby.

The gatekeeper thought the war made students find the bare castle walls grim and tried to compensate it by placing greenery everywhere in the castle, with charmed pots that kept them watered.

This in itself wasn’t a problem, just the type of plants Hagrid chose. Nick stated he was allergic to some of them, and it was hard to deny because his ghost-nose, as well as his eyes, seemed a redder pale than usual. Truth to be told, Hagrid did pick all the pots from the Forbidden Forest: wildflowers, small trees, and potion ingredients alike.

Then, just as Hermione sat down next to them, carrying dozens of books as per usual, and most of the students were already gathered, did McGonagall rise from her seat, to speak.

“Morning, guys,” Ginny also appeared, buttering a toast no matter the speech.

Harry knew the Weasleys, and how they tended to fight each other over what they considered the best bites of the food, leaving the healthier vegetables for the last to arrive, and just smiled.

Ever since he came back to school, he dreaded the talk he should have had with her, about their relationship. They had Quidditch together, they had classes together, giving Ginny plenty of opportunities to approach Harry with it, but she never did.

Sometimes things not spoken meant more than if you talk about it, and Harry was glad she didn’t seem angry or disappointed. That would have ruined what they had as friends always.

“I have an announcement to make,” McGonagall spoke up, but without trying to yell over the general murmur. The Hall fell silent as one. “I'm positive some of you have already read the Prophet, so I would like to clear up what’s true before the rumors spread.”

“What now,” Hermione just groaned, and Harry couldn’t agree more.

Since Slytherins like Malfoy, Parkinson and Zabini chose to not come back and finish their studies in America, afraid how the public opinion in Hogwarts would be against them, they didn’t spread fake (and almost fake) news. Rita was also gone.

Harry almost thought they will have a quiet year in return, but he was clearly wrong if the Headmistress had to address the issue.

Being familiar with the Prophet's tactics to sell more copies, Harry did not subscribe to the paper at all, but it meant nobody in their group of friends knew what was printed, so they missed the important news as well.

“Professor Snape was thought to have died a heroic death in the war, but he was saved on the brink of death, being given a highly experimental treatment in Mungo. Its unknown side-effect caused him to De-Age to a 17-year-old. Due to technicalities in our magical law, he'll have to retake all his exams to gain his degrees back. The Ministry proposed he could do it all in 1 year, instead of 6, and our school would be a perfect place for him because he could both join the seventh-year classes and act as an apprentice to Professor Slughorn and myself,” she said.

Harry forgot about breakfast, but he wasn't alone. They couldn't even hear the rest, because everyone was suddenly talking.

Just when they got rid of Malfoy and his gang, they get belittling, annoying, temperamental - albeit heroic - Snape back? As a classmate, seeing even more of him than the occasional nightmare that used to be the double Potions class?

“Of course, how did we miss it, Harry?” Hermione, however, was once again two steps in front of Harry’s thinking.

“Well, I did think he was dead, although I'm not a Healer to know for sure,” Harry didn’t quite get what Hermione was on about.

“Oh no, Harry, think! This Snape is not the Snape who died. It would make sense! Snape was the right-hand man for Voldemort who just proved his worth in a grand way when he killed Dumbledore. Don’t you see? Wouldn’t Voldemort want to reward him in some way, as one would like to keep a faithful and valuable servant around?”

“Fate has mysterious ways indeed,” Luna just smiled, probably understanding Hermione, yet Harry didn’t. Possibly alone in their group, since in the end, it was Ginny who told him on a low voice what was going on.


	3. Chapter 3

“Hermione says Voldemort made Snape make a Horcrux, possibly using the memory of Dumbledore’s death to do it, and this Snape is the Horcrux in flesh. I wonder if he looks any different.”

“You don’t have to,” a voice from behind them called out, and every eye in the Great Hall turned to them, a young Snape appearing next to Harry without a sound, just to scare the shit out of him, just like his Professor days. 

He didn’t have a spotty face as Sirius once told Harry, so it must have been just a ruse on Padfoot's part.

“Is this seat taken?” Snape, didn't seem impressed by everyone just gawking at him without a word, gesturing in between Harry and Hermione.

“What the Chamber of Secrets on Earth,” someone from the background muttered, and they sounded just as astonished as Harry felt.

It wasn’t even a seat per se, just the space Hermione’s books naturally occupied on the table, not urging anyone to sit there. And what used to be the Slytherin table was almost empty...

It was a clear strategy on Snape’s part, what else. But not only Snape changed, willing to take Harry’s company if it served his reputation right, Harry also had matured a lot.

He might not like Snape (and that could be also an understatement), but he knew his worst secret, the way his previous life played out and ended. His way of thinking.

Even if he were to insult Harry again in public, which he didn’t seem to want to do right now, Harry would know exactly where those insults came from. It’s harder to feel ashamed by those hurtful comments if you know they are coming because someone couldn’t have your mother’s love like you - without a doubt - did.

“No, so don’t deprive us of your company any longer. Please sit,” Harry found himself saying, and Hermione giving him a look of disbelief.

For the sake of not tarnishing Snape’s reputation, what he said out loud wasn’t dismissing. Even if Professor Snape in the past did like to humiliate him, he could be a bigger wizard, especially after a war that came from people fueling hate.

But, he was also borderline sarcastic, without showing it. The last thing he needed was Snape near his group of friends.

Snape sat without further comments, which was almost unlike him, and when Hermione took her books away to make space, he even started eating bacon with eggs, pouring a cup of pumpkin juice for himself.

“And here I thought this year will be almost boring,” Ginny said when they were finally out of the Great Hall.

People pretended to eat after the announcement, but surely never so many students spilled coffee on their uniform before. Too busy staring at Harry and Snape.

And what was worse, Snape seemed to bask in all the attention, as he accused Harry of doing so in the past. But Harry couldn’t be sure what to believe, Snape did have a way of carrying himself as if he was proud and not broken, a way to protect himself from vulnerability.

From the Ministry’s side to enroll him to school again mandatorily, might have been just another clever way to shame him. Maybe Snape was just trying to show off how they couldn’t break him so easily.

But that compassionate line of thought ended when Snape followed Harry and his group of friends to their next lesson, commenting now that they were out of the earshot of others.

“I want people to leave me alone, and for that, we need to appear friends, Potter, am I making myself clear?” his voice was as commanding as if he still had a right to demand anything.

“Yes, I thought so too, even if the why I should help you of all people part remains to be seen,” Harry just said, making Hermione laugh, and Luna smile.

“Why else, because you owe me your life, for one. And also because if you invite me to your study group, you might even learn a thing or two by the time you leave Hogwarts, and that’s saying something,” Snape sneered. This was at least familiar. Harry just let it slide, not even inspired enough to say anything back. “But as _delighted_ I was that you let me sit with you, I also do not want the next Prophet headline detailing how I’m dating the famous Harry Potter.”

“Imagine that,” Harry just chuckled, catching Hermione’s smile with his.

“No Potter, I’m serious,” Snape grabbed him by the hand. “Had I known that you’ll almost pee yourself in joy hearing I lived, I might have sat next to Ginevra, and I need to know it won’t happen again.”

“It’s actually quite funny,” Harry tore his sleeve from Snape’s hold. “A wizard as sarcastic as you failing to recognize when others use the same device against them.”

“How dare you!“

“No, listen to me Snape,” Harry changed his mind, and stopped in his tracks, facing the wizard gladly noticing he was less intimidated by this version’s height. “I know how much responsibility I have with my fame, so fine. I’ll help you and even rely on my friends to help you by not sending you away. But you don’t get to come to us with any demands or attitude in return. The minute you do, I’ll avoid you, even if it would make you a target of bullying once again.”

Snape wanted to tell something nasty to Harry, there was no doubt. But Harry laid out the facts on the open as only a Gryffindor would, even if it was a threat that his inner Slytherin had came up with.

Snape had to understand his point of view, or what would happen without Harry to cover for him, because, in the end, he bit his lip, drowning the insult, and later just nodded.

“As much as it pains me to say, Potter, you might be on a way to become a proper wizard, after all.”

Harry considered the issue finished, turning to go. It was an underhanded compliment, Snape basically insulting him saying Harry wasn’t a proper wizard yet, but considering it was Snape, Harry had much (much!) worse.


	4. Chapter 4

“Severus, as much as I trust you already know how to transfigure even a bucket of apples into doves, I just hope that what you’re reading behind your book is not something pornographic,” McGonagall simply said.

Snape rarely paid attention to classes, and she also gave him special treatment by calling him Severus, not Snape, but she still wouldn’t let him slack.

“I can assure you, Headmistress, it isn’t,” Snape said, with a slight color on his face, making Harry bite back a full-hearted laugh, Ginny next to Harry snickering.

“In that case, would you care to share with your class what it is?” the Headmistress just inquired.

“Not at this moment, no,” Snape just replied the same, seemingly cool, yet his blush said something otherwise.

“Then, Severus, you can read whatever you want, but I ask you to do in some other class, not mine,” McGonagall announced, getting the conversation just where she wanted. “Why don’t you help me with the demonstration if you’re bored? Come here.”

Snape went to her with a stoic face, while Hermione lifted his transfiguration book to look at what was hidden inside, what Snape was really reading.

“Hermione, seriously?” Harry just said because he didn’t care. He assumed it was a tome about dark magic, and feared Snape’s retaliation if they dared to touch his things.

“The rules of Cricket across the Globe,” Hermione showed him, with a pensive face. “Since when did Snape became a Muggle sports enthusiast?”

“I was looking into popular sports in England,” Snape, however, already was through with the demonstration, and seemed to notice everything going on in his absence as well. “I’m thinking of establishing a club of Gobstones, but it’s a game that even magicals consider dated. If I want to bring it back, I will have to establish a completely new version, and I was looking for inspiration.”

“He talks,” Ginny noted because, for a couple of weeks, this was the most Snape said to them.

“Well, I do count on each one of you to make an appearance for the first club gathering, so I figured I should tell you now,” Snape shrugged.

“Why?” Harry couldn’t stop himself from wondering.

“Because I need your popularity, Potter, why else.“

“No, that part was clear, thank you very much for explaining,” Harry said, making Snape’s lip twitch, as if he wanted to malevolently sneer at Harry, but then didn't. “I’m wondering why on Earth you’d go to lengths to establish a club in the castle, or care about its popularity, when...”

When you’re definitely not a people person. But Harry didn’t want to say that, not even to Snape.

“When you’re a wizard who isn’t known for sports and games,” Luna helped Harry out, genuinely smiling at Severus, and paired with her kind nature, it didn't seem as offensive at least.

“Maybe even horrible ex-Headmasters need to relax at times. And I’m bored of chess, always playing it with Albus,” Snape said, which killed the conversation.

Which no doubt was his intention because, despite Minerva’s warning, he was back to reading his book again, ignoring most of the lesson and everyone around him while he did.

Harry couldn't unsee how close Snape held the book to his face, not after the Marauders made a remark on it during a test in Snape's memories.

Which made him wonder what his parents would say if they saw him sitting with Snape every day.

 _Do you think he wants to be popular?_ Ginny scribbled on the side of her notes, asking Harry.

_You and me both know what it’s like to be popular, why would he want that?_

_It’s a certain power. If he isn’t lonely._ Ginny wrote back and accompanied it with a pointed look.

 _As long as he’s not establishing the next group of Death Eaters, I don’t care._ Harry wrote back, meaning every word. He liked the distance from Snape because it meant no confrontation. He could get used to it.

But, Ginny seemed somewhat unimpressed by Harry, and when the lesson was over, McGonagall asked him to stay.

“I wanted to talk to you about Severus before. Do you think you could keep an eye on him for me?” she didn’t even waste time, throwing a couple of how-are-yous around before entrusting Harry with the task.

“Why does everyone think Snape needs any help, or that it’s my responsibility to give it to him?” Harry flared up a bit but then realized how bitchy that sounded, so he tried to calm. “I mean... it’s not like he would accept it anyway, especially from me, you know that completely well, Headmistress.”

“Yes, I guess I also see your point, Mister Potter,” she said with a small nod. "Dismissed.”

She was a master of handling students. She made Harry feel guilty by three little words: “I guess” and “also”, without voicing any disagreement.


	5. Chapter 5

“If I can’t use dark curses during this DADA practice as you call it, what’s the point of going?” Snape just said, when, during breakfast one day, Harry asked if he wanted to go.

It was Hermione’s club, but Harry would have dueled Snape himself. He didn't count on Snape wondering how much the practice was worth if people were holding back, instead of graciously seeing the gesture for what it was. A sorry attempt on Harry’s side to extend an olive branch.

“Well, if you don’t wish to curse me in front of everyone, even just a little, then I suppose I must have been wrong about you,” he told Snape.

“You weren't, but I’m busy,” the wizard just gave Harry a mocking smile.

“I’m quite busy as well, but we could still go,” Harry tried to salvage his courage. As far as he knew, Severus always kept reading, but not books in the curriculum, probably all too familiar with them already, so it's not like they couldn't go.

“Oh, with what exactly?” Snape just pointed the question back at Harry. “Your friends all know most of the syllabus they are about to learn just as you do, so they are planning for their future. You aren’t.”

“I didn’t know I volunteered myself for counseling with the Head Teacher of Slytherin,” Harry said because Snape reminded him of McGonagall. “But I have better marks than ever, while I’m taking Quidditch training quite seriously.”

“Like that ever helped your father,” Snape said.

“What did you just say?” Harry muttered, no matter how he had heard every word perfectly.

“You get better marks because your teachers want to reward you for winning the war, but that won’t help you with your exams. Both James Potter and Sirius Black had tried to become Quidditch players after school and failed. You’d have a better chance of marrying well using your fame than being hired to play.”

Harry waited for his hotheaded roaring anger to appear, just as always before when Snape insulted his parents or Sirius, but it never came. Snape's explanation was clear and he was right.

Looking at Snape's expression he could also tell the other wizard just spoke his mind, and now regretted it, knowing full well Harry could take it as a provocation.

So Harry decided to be a Gryffindor about it, and extend the olive branch as an act of honesty instead. It exposed a part of him, but they have already tried and succeeded in being each other's worst nightmare, maybe it was time for something new. 

"If you know a suitable _wizard_ who would have me as their husband, then you know where to find me," Harry smiled, but his legs were shaking under the table a bit.

He didn't realize Snape's opinion mattered to him until the words were already out of his mouth. When did that change?

"I can't say I'm surprised," Snape chose not to taunt Harry with the information, or not yet at least. "But I would be careful not to discuss the topic in the Great Hall, where people might eavesdrop on you."

"It's just a matter of time that everyone should read about my successful marriage in the papers anyway," Harry was grinning boldly.

"You're unnecessarily taking risks, just as always," Snape said, but without his sneering tone, it almost sounded as if he was entertained slightly. "Maybe I should go to that DADA club with you, just to show you how it's not a good strategy for survival."

"Maybe?" Harry repeated. It almost sounded like Snape would come to a social gathering with him.

"As long as you didn't mean it as a date," Snape warned.

"If you have money, social status and cursing each other sounds like a perfect first date to you, inform me," Harry listed. He originally thought he only was asking Snape because Ginny and McGonagall were worried and made him. But he realized that wasn't necessarily true.

Maybe learning how to get along could free them of their past.

"I will. But I have to warn you, if you think we'd be cursing each other, you're gravely mistaken. I will be only cursing you," Snape said.

Harry didn't refute that. And even a couple of hours later, he was thinking about what Snape had said about Harry lacking skills for survival. He didn't just want to survive, he wanted to _live_.

Maybe that's why he couldn't accept a desk job in the Ministry as his future as well. But what else could he do?


	6. Chapter 6

"I have an authorized Portkey from the Headmistress to leave the castle for a business meeting, you should accompany me," Snape said, holding out a hand to Harry, helping him up from the floor once the DADA club was officially over.

Snape wasn't kidding when he said he'd curse Harry to pieces. After the first 15 minutes or so, Harry wasted so much magic trying to fight him that he barely had any left for shields later, but Snape mercilessly continued with the "practice" until the very end, of course.

Harry was kind of groggy to say at least. Why would he want to go to a business meeting after all this?

"Come on, you'll thank me later. And I'll buy you a chocolate or some Ice-cream after I'm finished signing the deal," Snape said as if reading his mind.

Harry didn't know it was meant to be a reward from Snape, only when they landed with the Portkey (a silver fork) in the middle of the Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

"Mate, I didn't know you were coming!" Ron grinned and gave Harry a crushing hug.

"I didn't either," Harry smiled.

"What better way to start any business negotiation than bringing a surprise," Snape said.

"A Slytherin tactic I see," George noted, welcoming Harry the same way Ron did. "So why don't we go to my office and discuss the details."

"Try not to wander off until I return," Snape warned Harry. "The Headmistress would surely behead me if I sneak you out of the castle in the middle of the night and you'd end up hurt."

"Surely, I can spend some time with my best friend without putting myself in grave danger," Harry said, not entirely without irritation. The physical exhaustion was thinning his tolerance.

"If you can truly make it, I owe you some sweets after we're finished with Mr. Weasley, as promised," Snape said, making Ron still stare even after George and Snape disappeared in the back of the shop.

"Harry, what's going on?"

"Not much, actually," Harry shrugged. "How are you and George? How is the shop? How are your parents doing?... What?"

"Snape. Buying you sweets. I mean… it's pretty weird if you ask me," and he didn't say more just wiggled his eyebrows in a way that made Harry smile. He missed Ron so much.

"Weirder than talking business with George? What is that about?"

"He wants us to manufacture a new line of Gobstones for him, and sell it in the shop. George says all the financial risk is taken by Snape, so we don't have much to lose if it doesn't work out. And Snape did buy the trademark of the Gobstones for particularly nothing, so if it becomes popular, he can also make a decent profit on it."

"I see," Harry nodded. So Snape was thinking about making money from the game right from the start. It was a much more Slytherin thing to do than Ginny's theories about Snape.

"But what I don't get is why he'd bring you here and buy you anything. Anything that’s not poisonous. And the way he looks at you is also different," Ron said, going behind the counter, and bringing some candy out. "You want to try what we were working on last week?"

Two candies later Harry's hair was turned into a very neon shade of blue, and he had pointed ears and was laughing when his clothes transfigured themselves into PJs.

"Great, isn't it! It's just an illusion, but you never know what clothes you get. Sometimes none," Ron said, with a smile in the corner of his eyes.

Harry felt relieved that Ron seemed okay, and he ended up recounting to him everything that happened in Hogwarts lately, which was mostly only news about Snape being back.

"But you're not…?" and gave Harry a look, cautiously looking to the back of the shop if Snape and George could be back any minute. " _You know?_ "

"You'd have to be more articulate than that," Harry didn't.

"You're not… dating him, right?"

Harry felt compelled to make some gagging noises but didn't. Since Harry told Ron and Hermione he was gay, Ron never really asked any questions about it, almost as if avoiding the topic, so Harry supposed this was a good thing. Even if now Ron was thinking he'd do Snape.

"He's buying me chocolate because he kept cursing me for almost an hour and I can barely stand," Harry informed Ron. "And he's paying attention to be nicer around me because he needs my fame to make a profit on this deal, and survive Hogwarts, basically."

"So you would never…" Ron started, but blushed furiously and stopped.

"What?" Harry almost laughed.

"Shaghimorsomething," Ron just whispered, and Harry could barely make out the words.

"He's twice our age, and was in love with my mum, what do you think?"

It was kind of strange. Right from the beginning, Ron got the wrong impression, and even if Harry told him it's nothing like that, it was written on Ron's face that he was unconvinced. Harry felt like he'd have to defend himself for some reason.

"Just because I'm gay, Ron, it doesn't mean I'd shag just anyone!"

As his luck would always have it, that was when a smiling George and a not so smiling Snape appeared, to hear Harry's words loud and clear.

"Should we go?" Snape asked Harry, sparing Ron also a glance. "The Portkey will activate in 25 minutes, and we still have one more stop to make."

"I can give you some of our candy and chocolate that's not enchanted yet, as well as some drinks to celebrate our deal just now," George's smile was as wide as ever, which meant he must have made a good deal with Snape indeed or was up to something, or even both. "So you can stay a bit longer Harry and also tell Uncle George all about what's going on at Hogwarts nowadays, just as well as about your love life in detail."

It was Harry's turn to blush.

"That story should be short enough to tell, even if we left in 2 minutes," Snape said before he could say anything.

"Excuse me, but how would you know?" Harry felt offended, but not so terribly to point out Snape didn't have a much better love life either. As far as Harry knew.

"I tend to pay attention to my surroundings, just as well people around me," Snape just said with a face purposely left blank, on a deadpan voice. "Maybe it's something you could also try to your benefit."

The Weasleys just joyously laughed at that comment, and Harry couldn't be angry with Snape for it, even if the joke was on him, joining them with a small laugh on his own.

Finally, George not only gave them chocolate, sweets, Firewhiskey, Butterbeer but even loads of trinkets to take back to the castle, as well as a present for each one of their friends. Harry wished he could take George and Ron with them back instead, making them promise to visit on a Hogsmeade weekend.


	7. Chapter 7

The study group Snape mentioned blew out of proportion. First, it was only Harry’s group of friends sitting together at the library, and Snape tagging along. Then, Hermione was lost to Snape’s academic charms first, and in what it seemed a blink (a couple of weeks), they didn’t fit into the library anymore and had to use the otherwise empty Divination classroom after classes.

Even if the materials they read on, discussed and debated were usually highly advanced topics, all of the seventh years, as well as some younger Slytherins and Ravenclaws joined them.

Harry waited for Snape to start taking Gryffindor House points or just yell, or insult Neville at some point, old instincts die hard. 

True, Snape still spoke a lot, explaining the topics some people find difficult at first, but it was nothing like his classes before. Thinking about it, since they weren’t brewing potions, there might have been less reason on Snape’s part to start yelling because people were in danger of melting their cauldrons down.

One day McGonagall showed up and stayed watching them work, also doing some paperwork on her own.

“I didn’t think this classroom was your secret hideout, Minerva,” Snape only noted when most of the people were gone, making the old witch gesture to her teacup.

“I never knew we have such a good tea anywhere in Hogwarts, but I also needed to talk with you, Severus, alone,” she said.

Harry was so immersed in a DADA essay that was due the next day, he didn't notice that everybody else has left the room already. Leaving in a hurry, it wasn’t Harry’s intention to eavesdrop, but as the door closed behind him, he found himself too curious not to linger a little bit more.

“Starting next year, I want you back teaching, Severus,” the Headmistress was as direct as always. “The way I see it you’re back already, you just don't get paid for it.”

“On what capacity are you here, Minerva? As the Headmistress and a school board member or as a friend?” Snape asked simply.

“Why does it matter?” McGonagall asked. “I came to you as a friend, but it will be an official offer soon enough.”

“Then let me address it in both ways as well,” Snape said. “As much as I would like to still visit you and talk sometimes, I can’t possibly accept a teaching post here.”

“Is it because of Albus?” she asked, so quiet Harry could barely hear. By that point, Harry knew he should have left a long time ago, but he was too invested to know what Snape would give as a reason.

“No. But it’s not for me, and we both know it.”

“It is certainly not what I have just observed,” the Headmistress said with confidence.

“These students are different. They genuinely want to learn, and we do not have a fixed curriculum or education rules to adhere to, nor do I have to spend any time marking any homework or essays,” Snape said. “And I know it’s only temporary.”

“It almost sounds like you’re saying teaching wasn’t a good fit for you, but Albus wouldn’t let you leave.”

“I didn’t even consider doing anything else then,” Snape answered. “But being forced to start my life again maybe I could surprise even you, Minerva, who knows.”

“Why don't you surprise yourself instead?”

Harry couldn’t help but think it’s what he should do as well. Being Harry Potter meant he had some encounters with strange dark forces most people didn’t have. But there wasn’t any point comparing himself to others. 

Maybe something adventurous and risky for Harry Potter wasn’t the same for others and the same was true in reverse as well, but it didn’t mean it was a completely useless effort.

He was so deep in thought he didn’t even notice that McGonagall and Snape finished talking, and he was still idly standing there when the door opened. The Headmistress didn’t even comment on it, as if she gave up on Harry ever changing his behavior.

“I’m sorry, originally I wasn’t planning to stay, I swear, it’s just…” Harry was flooded with guilt, listening to Snape's private conversation without permission.

“If I had not know all along you were there maybe I would find myself more concerned, but in this castle, you can’t have an important discussion without a good chance of Harry Potter thinking it concerned him as well, it’s common knowledge,” Snape said, and he genuinely didn't seem irritated or annoyed, when there was a time in the past he would have yelled at Harry given any reason.

The change almost made Harry wish for a mere second that they had the old Snape back. This version of him Harry didn’t seem to know at all.


	8. Chapter 8

“Gobstones are like Muggle marbles if any of you are familiar with that, but not the wizarding game itself,” Snape said, opening the first Gobstone club meeting.

Since the Room of Requirement still was on fire from time to time, completely unreliable, they were in the Great Hall, the tables moved to the side, giving them plenty of space.

“Except Gobstones emit a foul-smelling liquid on you,” a third-year from Hupplepuff named Adam noted, wrinkling his nose.

“It’s one of the rules I chose to change,” Snape said, presenting a colorful stone proudly to the crowd. “Now it only sprinkles water. But that’s not all. Out of the 30, only 10 are filled with water. Another 10 hold trivia questions or daring challenges, and another 10 have secret presents hidden inside.”

“Presents?” a first-year asked, probably from a Muggle descent. “But they are so small, how could anything fit there?”

“What’s your name?’ Snape just asked the kid.

“Tim.”

“Well, Tim, why don’t you try out this stone right now. Just roll it anywhere you’d like to as if you were playing.”

Tim did, and to everyone’s delight, the stone rolled into position, then opened, and revealed a chocolate frog inside, no matter how it was bigger than the stone.

“They are enchanted, you see?” Snape just asked. “You can, of course, keep the frog. Now, I would need a volunteer to show how the game is played with the new rules.”

Harry was about to step up because he assumed nobody else would want to demonstrate with Snape, but he was wrong.

“I would like to volunteer,” a Ravenclaw girl named Matilda declared before Harry could even blink, then walked up to Snape. “What should I do?”

“First, we'll need a Gobstone pack, I'll let you pick one for us. I have prepared one for everyone here today, as a gift you can all keep,” Snape said, gesturing at the pile of packs that were already prepared next to him. They were held in wooden boxes that did look a lot like chess sets, but contained 15-15 stones on each side once opened.“Then, we need the circles drawn and start. You can go first. Try to aim your stone carefully, don’t pay attention to anything else for now.”

Matilda did, and her stone landed in a good position.

“You will prove to be a worthy opponent, Matilda, I see,” Snape complimented her.

“I might have practiced a bit,” the Ravenclaw said with a timid smile, and Harry couldn’t help but noticed she blushed slightly.

She was in their study group since the beginning, but she’d never showed any interest in Snape before. But Harry couldn't consider this any further, distracted when the Stone opened next, and a parchment rolled out of it in the direction of Matilda.

“As I mentioned, there are trivia questions and challenges in the stones. The trivia questions are always changing and recited out loud by the stones, so if you see a parchment, it means you have encountered a challenge. To keep your position, you must read it and do as it tells you to do.”

“That's too easy!” Ginny said, maybe only to make sure Snape could explain further, helping him, because she was grinning widely.

“It might seem that way, but the challenges are tailored to the owner of the Stones. They require real courage or in some cases a great deal of magical power to complete. It’s one of the reasons why they are written down. Sometimes even the challenges, if read publicly can be too embarrassing for the player, in that case, they can just forfeit the Stone without ever revealing what it was. Or complete the task, and win not only the stone but some real-life courage as well.”

Now, every pair of eyes in the Hall were on Matilda, who was gripping the parchment still, when she surely could have read it by then.

“I take it it’s an especially difficult one,” Snape observed.

“Yes, but I will do it,” Matilda stood her ground, her posture channeling pure determination. “This might be unexpected given the circumstances, but… Severus, do you think you could have a Buttlebeer or two with me the next Hogsmeade weekend, maybe?”

Everyone stopped even breathing for a second. Snape didn’t have to answer, and the Stone already closed up, Matilda winning the position with her question alone, her challenge not hard to guess.

“Oh no, she didn’t!” Hermione whispered mostly to herself, grabbing Harry’s hand as if she was watching a Muggle soap opera and was on edge about how it will conclude.

“I must admit, I haven't considered this turn of events,” Snape said, and Harry thought it was because he was about to say no. Even if Matilda was 18 returning to Hogwarts because she wasn't present for her intended last year, and she was a mature witch, the age difference was just too much. Or so he thought. “But if you’re certain you would like to go, I will gladly invite you for a drink, Matilda.”

“Even if you lose to me in a game you designed?” Matilda laughed as if she was so sure about herself, but at the same time, her expression was a mixture of relief and fragility, betraying her real thoughts.

“About time, she’s been trying to ask Snape out for weeks now,” Ginny noted, dropping her voice so only Harry and Hermione could hear. “This opportunity is perfect because she doesn’t interfere with learning anything important which Snape would have probably disliked in our study group.”

“As I have indicated before, I'm pleased to have a worthy opponent,” meanwhile Snape did seem to take both her invitation and dare gracefully, if not in a genuinely good mood.

Harry wondered, watching them play on. He knew Matilda was quite smart and a nice, pleasant person overall.

Arguably, not unlike Lily Evans once. And if she was like Lily, Harry wondered if Snape would go out with her for real. Not just accepting the date because he didn’t want to publicly humiliate her right at the very first Gobstone game of his club, but because he wanted to anyway.


	9. Chapter 9

“Troll whisperer, knight, Magical beasts handler, Merpeople negotiator, DADA Professor, Potion Master,” Ginny visited Harry in his rooms, now reading one of his many lists out loud. “What exactly is this, Harry?”

“I was trying to translate each of my years in Hogwarts to professional experiences,” Harry explained half-heartedly.

“I thought it was Ron who took down the troll. With sheer luck,” Ginny said. “Although it's not what he told me when he was recounting his heroic tale.”

“He did,” Harry agreed. “But defeating Voldemort, defeating Voldemort and sometimes failing to defeat Voldemort while he was gaining power makes my resume quite gruesome if you ask me.”

“You didn’t list this year yet,” Ginny noticed. “And I bet that will be your best. You’re a late bloomer.”

“I don’t know whether to thank you for that or not,” Harry almost pouted. “And out of this miserable list, I see one reoccurrence, so I was thinking about asking McGonagall about it.”

“Oh, and what is it?” she was curious. Probably they all were. Harry should have summited his application for any job or apprenticeship two weeks ago, officially.

Not because it was the deadline, it was 1 month later, but because the “good” apprenticeships filled up the very early.

“I could take care of Magical Creatures like Hagrid. I have faced so many, and I could just ask him if I could be his apprentice, I’m sure he wouldn't mind… what?”

“I’m glad you came up with something, Harry, I’m happy for you,” she said, but Harry knew her so well he knew she was holding back something.

“Don’t make me go to Hermione with this so she could spell out my fatal mistake for me as always. Tell me.” 

Harry spent hours coming up with this, but there was a reason why he still didn’t run to the Headmistress announcing his latest idea just yet. Even if he couldn't place a finger on why.

“I think it’s good that you’re thinking about it, and finally figured something out. However…”

“Sounds ominous, if you must complement me before saying,” Harry noted, but only earned a small smack from Ginny to the back of his head.

“However, I think you only chose it because you don’t want to leave the castle just yet. You don’t want to lose touch with Hagrid and McGonagall and everyone else, but that’s the reason why owl post exists, not why you’d pick your profession.”

Harry was right, he didn’t like to hear this, but he needed to hear this. Badly.

“Shit, I think you’re right,” Harry felt deep down Ginny was right. Which meant she saved him from a mistake. But also that he had null again for his list, once more, and the time was ticking.

“I’m always right, darling,” Ginny warned, but then her expression suddenly sobered.

“What is it, Gin?”

“Actually, it’s why I came to you,” she said. “I need to cry on your shoulders for a bit.”

She wasn’t crying, but she was sitting next to Harry on his couch, so now she just laid her head on his shoulder.

“But you’re doing great academically, and a brighter future is right in front of us,” Harry tried to cheer her up, also daring himself to believe it.

“I miss Fred dearly. I don’t want to leave the castle just yet either,” Ginny listed. “And when Severus Snape is doing better than you, it can sink your ego.”

“Snape is taking the subjects the second time and he used to teach some of them,” Harry reminded Ginny. Since when did she care about Snape?

“I’m not talking about that, I will never have better marks than Hermione either. But Hermione has Ron, and Snape has Matilda. Luna has a newspaper, Ron and George have a booming business and Snape has an investment, and you’re Harry Potter who defeated Voldemort twice, but me?”

Harry heard what she was saying, and what she only mentioned because she wanted to hide what she was saying.

“Gin, I’m gay.”

“I know, Harry. I knew even before both Ron and Hermione both told me. Then mom. And George. Basically everyone,” she laughed. So everyone knew. 

Harry guessed that much but also went slightly red, even if it was a relief to talk about it with Ginny openly.

"I'm sorry, Gin," he said, but she just waved him off. 

“I guess I just miss the feeling of being in love. And my dating pool will probably only shrink after school, and... I don't know." She didn't have to say. Harry understood.

"Maybe you could petition for a leave on the weekend from McGonagall," Harry told her. "And Apparate anywhere. The world is full of good looking wizards, and attractive Muggle men."

"Only if you come with me," Ginny bargained. Harry groaned.

"I can't possibly."

"Well, Hermione is dating my brother, and what do you think she'd say to a magical club anyway? It's not a place for her."

"Nor for me," Harry tried to object faintly.

"Do it for me, then. I'll take you shopping for some more flattering clothes first, and even ask Charlie if he knows a decent place for us to go," Ginny stood, her determination back. Harry just wished her plans didn't include him as well and feared what she would view as "flattering" on him. 

He wasn't the flamboyant type, but he supposed Dudley's worn-out clothes would stand out in a club, Ginny had that right.


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would like to thank all of you for reading!

Harry found himself intimidated by the Gobstones that had the challenges in them. He proved to be a decent player, but could barely hide the one saying: _“Discuss with your opponent: whether you’re attracted to older or younger wizards”_ the first time they played. 

He not only lost his position then but felt pure panic. Snape, who was circling the room in case anyone needed help, might have seen it.

If it was tailored to their person, it was as good as advertising Harry was attracted to older wizards, and he didn’t want Snape to know that. He didn’t think it was true before, but once he accepted it, it was okay.

Many challenges left Harry surprised at first, just as this one, but they were useful as much as they were uncomfortable. The more he played the more he discovered about himself.

Only, this time Snape asked Harry to be his opponent, probably for publicity's sake. And as a good strategist, he was keenly watching Harry for every reaction, not to mention gloat sometimes.

“I didn’t think a Gryffindor would have a problem with the challenge Stones, but you were yet to win one today,” he said.

So Harry decided to try and do the dares he received from the Stones, but the ones he got weren’t proving to be easy, while Snape was crushing them.

But how could he do it, when his parchment said: _“Confession: Tell your opponent what part of the Potions classroom would you use for public sex?”_

He was glad if he didn’t blush under the question and Snape’s continuous scrutiny. Most likely the stones sensed he was playing with Snape and figured a question Harry couldn’t possibly answer in his presence.

“You’re not coming down with something, are you, Potter?” Snape teased a bit further along into the game. “You could easily win by skill, but…”

“I’ll do the next challenge, don’t worry,” Harry had enough. But, the next one was hardly better.

_“Hypothetical: If you were truly desperate and had to do it for money, would you ever sell your body? Read the question to your opponent and answer as truthfully as you can.”_

“So?” Snape prompted. He seemed like he was enjoying his lead, and Harry's reluctance. Harry already decided he'll do this one, so he read the question, and there was only one thing left.

“It would depend on the circumstances. I guess it says I need the money badly, right? And I suppose there are worse things… and if the person who offered was trustworthy and handsome enough, then maybe yes.”

“What do you mean by trustworthy?” Snape asked, without any reaction betraying how he felt about Harry’s answer.

“That’s another question and I already have the stone,” Harry tried to hide his discomfort by a grin.

“As someone who used to be a responsible person for your hide, Harry, I find your answer a bit concerning.”

Harry couldn’t help but notice he wasn’t addressed as “Potter” by Snape, and he had no recollection of that ever happening before.

Snape seemed like he wanted to be nicer to Harry, and that’s why he did it, so Harry felt he should answer in return.

“I’d say someone who doesn’t look like they would hurt me,” Harry shrugged. “I mean ex-Death Eaters still out there to kill me, or violent people or something like that.”

“Looks can be deceiving,” Snape said, but luckily, he decided not to push Harry about it, and played his next stone instead.

And the next question Harry got was about his future plans regarding his career, not his sexual preferences, thank Merlin.


	11. Chapter 11

Of course, the clothing Ginny made Harry wear had to be extremely embarrassing. Ginny disagreed, saying it was the hottest she'd ever seen him.

And, of course, Ginny conveniently forgot to mention she invited other people as well. At least one, who upon hearing they were going out wanted to chaperone them as if they were still underage.

Charlie Weasley waved to them the moment they were through the door, ordering their first-round of drinks even before they could sit down.

Harry met Charlie a couple of times, but never like this. If the Weasley boys were to suddenly start wearing dragonhide boots, leather pants, sleeveless shirts, and such a thought-provoking smile, he’d be in trouble.

“Why don't we start with drinks, then show this dance floor what dancing is?” Charlie raised his glass. He radiated so much energy, it was contagious.

“We’re going to be _magical_!” Ginny agreed.

“Luckily it’s dark!” Harry added, which earned him two equally confused looks, so he had to elaborate. “So people won’t see my attempt.”

“Harry, come here,” Charlie ordered, and Harry shifted a bit closer, unsure why. Only to have Charlie snitch his glasses away, ruffle Harry’s already unruly hair, and roll the sleeves of his new T-shirt up.

“There. I will give you back your glasses when we leave.” It was confusing.

“You know that without them I'm blind as a bat, yes?” Harry tried to object, reaching after it, but Charlie was quicker, or he just magicked the glasses away. Harry couldn’t even see how that happened since they were gone. “It stops being sexy fast if I constantly fall over my own legs.”

“You were the youngest Quidditch player in the century, as Ron tells it,” Charlie seemed unimpressed by Harry's reasoning as to why a person in a dimly lit club would need to see where he was going, clearly. “So I trust you can manage to balance on the ground with two feet rhythmically, even blindfolded.”

Then he was already making his way to the dance floor. Right to the middle where most people - moving, colorful blobs to Harry from this distance - were dancing.

“Charlie’s got a point,” Ginny said. “Maybe you can have more fun if you’re dancing, and not watching the reaction of others.”

“I wasn’t going to,“ Harry meekly tried to deny everything.

“Remember, if I wanted a chat, I would have bought Hermione. So less talking, more dancing, and hurry up!” Ginny said, dragging him after Charlie.

If there was a spell to make Harry a good dancer, he was unaware. But luckily, it wasn't a competition. 

Instead, it was a way to enjoy his body, a night with his friends, and what it felt like to be a part of the crowd, blending in, shedding his "celebrity" status if only for a minute.

Maybe this became Harry’s doom as well if not all the alcohol he drank during the night feeling thirsty.

When Charlie found him, he was kissing a Muggle guy, who was muscular, tall and blond, but barely wanted to let Harry go when Charlie announced they better leave.

“You could do so much better than him,” he then told Harry, before they caught up with Ginny.

“Maybe, maybe not,” Harry shrugged.

“I have been part of the Muggle gay scene for years, and I’m telling you, you could,” Charlie assured him.

“Then let me keep my glasses next time to see,” Harry replied.

"Maybe next time don't leave my side and you won't need them," Charlie said. "Everybody already knows how attractive I am, even without proper eyesight, and I like to lead."

Harry chuckled, but even drunk he felt slightly alarmed. He had a great night out, and some undeniable chemistry with Charlie, and could already tell how much he could be attracted to someone like him, even if that also would be his greatest mistake yet.

"Stop flirting, or Ginny will think you're serious," he told Charlie off, but that didn't help. Maybe because his voice sounded like teasing, even to his own ears.

"You know, you could also grope me in the dark just a bit, if you'd lost your balance, and wanted to," Charlie added, just before they reached Ginny, and it was time for them to try to stay coherent enough to use the closest Floo and get home safely.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of a double chapter update. Thank you for reading!

“Remember when I said that Snape being happier than all of us together was disconcerting?” Ginny appeared in the library, finding Harry. “I take it back. He’s back to his old self, and that’s a hundred times worse.”

Hermione also appeared, putting a couple of books away into her bag.

“What do you mean?” Harry had seen Snape at breakfast, and he didn’t seem any different.

“At lunch, I was so into a story about this Muggle guy I've met when we went clubbing that I accidentally spilled my pumpkin juice on the book he was reading,” Ginny explained. “And I'm not a troll, so I cleaned it off with a spell and apologized, but he yelled at me as if I killed someone, and stormed off without eating anything.”

“I wonder if it wasn’t about you at all,” Hermione said. “Matilda just broke up with him today.”

“Really?” Ginny asked with slight disbelief. “I thought they were good together. A not so handsome guy, but he has a big brain, and finds a Ravenclaw who can appreciate that, like in some novels.”

“Don’t tell anyone I told you,” Hermione lowered her voice. “But I think it might be because Snape’s not so good in bed.”

“What in Merlin’s name would make you say that?” Harry asked. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, but he certainly didn't want to start guessing why she would say that.

“When it’s spending time together, they still get along well, they worked together in Potions class, remember?” Hermione said. “But they only started having sex recently, and Matilda told me it was fine. Not good, just _fine._ ”

“You think she only said that because she didn’t want to tarnish Snape’s reputation completely?” Ginny asked.

“There is a way to find out,” Hermione said, giving Harry a look. “Harry could talk to him.”

“ _If_ what you speculate is true, he would Adava me right on the spot,” Harry tried to tell her.

“No, Hermione’s right. Snape’s a wizard, so he might not want to talk to us girls right now. But maybe he would confide in you, Harry,” Ginny said.

“I’m not taking any part of this scheme,” Harry declared before they would make him do it.

“It isn't one. If Snape is like everybody else, maybe he could use someone to talk to. Matilda did,” Hermione said. “And the fact that you used to hate each other but now you're friends and he seems to trust you could really help.”

Hermione seemed to be honestly convinced Snape was completely heartbroken, which was hard to imagine. Harry didn’t say anything, and Hermione wasn't pushing him since she had already voiced her reasons.

“Are you all coming to the study group now, or should I go first?” Snape appeared out of thin air, (what else was new), and Harry almost winced.

There was a nervous pause, no one speaking. How much did he hear?

“We should all go right now if we don’t want to be late,” Harry said, hoping it won't anger Snape any further if he was indeed in one of his famous mood swings.

Luckily, Snape simply waited for them with a bored expression until they gathered their bags, civilly starting a conversation with Ginny on the way, maybe trying to make up for his behavior towards her during lunch in his own way.

He wasn’t by any means back to his old self. Or so Harry thought, but he was mistaken just as much as Hermione was with her guess.


	13. Chapter 13

Harry took a deep breath. His list of careers was only three items long on the parchment. It shouldn’t have taken McGonagall this long to read them all, but the Headmistress was still not speaking.

“I see your list contains careers most wouldn’t choose, that’s already a good start, Mister Potter,” McGonagall said. “It appears you have spent some time elaborating. Tell me about them.”

“I feel like I could do any of them,” Harry said, honest.

“Which in a sense is true,” McGonagall nodded. “You, as any student of this school could do several jobs with your Hogwarts education. That’s why it’s a choice.”

“I know I would like to do something that's not a yawn,” Harry said.

“Yet I do not see Dragon Tamer anywhere here,” the Headmistress pointed out. Hearing that Harry just hoped she didn't secretly know Harry had been spending a good deal of time with Charlie Weasley lately.

“I would like to have a skill in a general direction that’s useful, but I would like to still learn about new things when I’m already working,” Harry explained. “For a wandmaker, every wand is slightly different, just as every customer and new materials are found to be used to enhance Magic every day. And the combination of the wood and the materials to different effects is fascinating.”

It was Snape who was reading about it initially, but Harry found it so interesting Snape gave him the book.

“Go on,” McGonagall said.

“Unspeakables deal with new magical curiosities every day. Theory can be dry, but it could be also important to know how Magic works. Given that the birthrates of Wizards and Witches are decreasing, it could be useful for our society one day,” Harry said. He knew the Headmistress was keeping her opinion until he talked about all three, so he just went on. 

“And finally, I wrote an Assistant Professor in Uagadou School of Magic, because they have magic courses matching our classes, Headmistress, but they also have magical rituals that didn't survive in Europe, considering we had witch-hunts. Did you know they sometimes don’t cast a spell with a wand, but dance to make magic happen?”

He had heard this from Luna, and researched it, finding the topic compelling, but not well documented. If Harry would like to learn, he’d have to travel there and see everything for himself.

“I have a dear friend in Uagadou,” McGonagall mentioned. “Alternatively, Minister Kingsley would be no doubt happy to hire you. And maybe even Ollivander wouldn’t oppose retirement if he had a capable successor. But I also see a pattern in these careers you have listed I would like to talk about first.”

Harry had a deja-vu. Ginny had pointed out a pattern in his previous list, and the Headmistress seemed to be about to do the same.

“I’m aware that during the war you’ve lost your wand for a time, Mister Potter,” McGonagall said in a kinder voice. “Could it be that you would want to study all these alternative methods of creating magic because you fear it could happen again?”

Harry understood perfectly. Another aspect of himself he hadn’t considered, but the Headmistress saw through it already by the time she had read Harry’s list.

“Maybe it’s the reason why I chose them, but I don’t see how it’s a bad thing,” Harry said. 

“Because they occupy your thoughts, and maybe blind you to other possibilities,” McGonagall said. “As you mentioned it’s not a problem but I don’t want you to consider a decision that will form your life solely from one point of view.”

“I understand.”

“My advice is: do not think about it today,” the Headmistress said. “Today you should just read a book or be with your friends. Sleep on it, and you might wake up tomorrow with a better idea.”

“Thank you, Headmistress,” Harry said. For someone like him, it was good advice. He was already leaving when the Headmistress’s voice stopped him.

“I ordered some sweets from Diagon Alley for the Hallowe’en feast, and Mr. and Mr. Weasley sent me these also. Would you like to take a sherbet lemon with you, Harry?”

“Of course, thank you,” Harry smiled and felt the familiar taste, and a feeling of being young again had crept upon him with it.

He shot one glance to Dumbledore's portrait who was sleeping but had similar sweets depicted also on the canvas in front of him.

Instead, he caught the alert eyes of Snape's portrait, who seemed to study him with what it seemed to be a defying silence.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I hope the concept of glitching walls isn't too confusing in this one.

"The fire in this room isn't Fiendfyre, or rather I should say not only that," McGonagall explained, as a couple of Hogwarts stuff and skilled seventh years were standing in front of the Room of Requirement.

"What is it then, Professor?" someone asked.

"Yesterday, a Muggle wondered into the school grounds, despite the enchantments and wards that should have prevented it. With Professor Slughorn, we investigated why the magical energy of the school is draining. We have found it's because we have an unmonitored colony of Ashwinders in a room that doesn't have a fixed size, and their eggs are burning. I have asked some of you here to help freeze them, and magically bind the creatures that are already hatched. Please proceed with extreme caution, using shielding, freezing and cooling charms in abundance. I sincerely hope everyone here is well versed with the incantation that's used to extinguish Fiendfyres. If you see a flame that's too large for you to destroy alone, ask for help, and whatever you do, don't let any part of your clothing or hair caught in it. We'll work in pairs, so also watch out for your partner, and don't wander too far from the group. Any questions?"

There were none.

"Then, let Professor Slughorn explain how to freeze Ashwinder eggs properly so they can be used in Potions later," she added, nodding at Slughorn who stepped forward.

Harry was already standing next to Ginny, thinking it would be the obvious choice for them to fight these creatures together, but then Snape appeared.

"Ginny, do you mind if I steal Harry for this assignment?" he asked.

"Bring him home without a scratch," Ginny grinned and left Harry to the graces of Snape, who didn't even ask him directly.

"Relax, I just don't want Slughorn to collect all the eggs only to sell them for a good price, and if there is a small chance you can still speak Parseltongue, you could be useful. If not, you still have decent shields, so I at least I don't have to babysit you," Snape said.

"Flattery will not get you anywhere," Harry said but accepted his fate, and he walked through the door with Snape next.

There was an immense heat inside, with some smoke and the visibility was low, but the room itself wasn't on fire as much as Harry had last seen it.

"This way, we follow the trails," Snape indicated, and they set off to work. They followed it to a nest, petrified the creatures, and froze the eggs that Snape then shrunk and pocketed. Then they followed the trails to another nest and methodically repeated the process.

However, the Room of Requirement was glitching. There were incomplete walls of different rooms around them, and sometimes they appeared out of nowhere, blocking their way.

"Careful. Try not to get caught in a wall, or Ginny will hold me responsible," Snape warned.

They could see the walls as they began to take shape so they could avoid them, but it also meant they got separated from the rest of the group. They weren't concerned, because there were also plenty of eggs to collect there, but when they were done with another harvest Snape noted.

"We should retrace our steps to find the others again."

Only, some Ashwinders that looked barely old enough to be hatched, chose to attack them just then.

"They aren't supposed to live long and be violent," Snape noted.

"They can smell all the eggs we stole from them," Harry said.

"You heard them say that?" Snape asked between two Petrificus Totalus and a freezing charm.

"No, I can't tell what they're saying, but snakes have a keen smell, so it's not a big jump to conclude." And they looked quite angry as well.

They cornered Snape and Harry, who tried to back away, but another wall appeared, and before they knew it, it was burning in large Fiendfyre flames, trapping them, feeding on the fresh wall.

"To look on the bright side: if the magic and the material in the wall feeds into its fire, I won't be alive long enough to explain to Ginny why I couldn't protect you," Snape yelled to Harry over the roar of the flames.

"Yes, we need a way to get out of here, fast!" Harry wasn't dying to try a picnic in hell either. He didn't notice _where_ he spoke that wish.

Snape and Harry found themselves in another room, which was extremely small, fully dark, and without proper paint or furniture. But also gone were the creatures attacking them, and the howling fire growing around them, even the smoke.

"It must have responded to me saying we needed something, you're welcome," Harry said, even if it wasn't intentional.

"And I would love to say thank you for saving our lives by not knowing when to shut up," Snape replied. "But don't you find one detail disconcerting?"

Harry glanced around.

"This room doesn't have a door. And even if I think of one, or try to get us into another room or just back to the others, nothing's happening," Snape said.

Harry also tried, thinking about a room where he could meet his friends, then about a room which led back to them, but no matter what he tried, the result was the same. They were trapped.

"Well, you wanted to partner with Harry Potter of all people, and this is just my luck," Harry told Snape. "Flitch will find our corpses someday, I'm sure."


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OOC warning! I think. But I also have my reasons.

"So how long do you think until they start missing us?" Harry asked. They had already tried every spell they knew combined that could help. Which was quite many, considering how many Snape knew.

"Soon, probably, but they will have no way of knowing where we disappeared," Snape said.

"And even if they don't think we burned to death in the Fiendfyre to disappear without a trace, and figure somehow where we are, they might not be able to come to us just as we can't get out," Harry added.

"I should have known the day I get free potion ingredients this rare was too good to be true," Snape said, putting his wand away. "But at least the Fiendfyre isn't burning down these walls - yet."

They had also sent Patronuses to both the Headmistress and Ginny but didn't hear anything back. Maybe it was best to just wait if they weren't attacked by the flames in this small room.

"So, do you wish to tell me about your break up with Matilda?" Harry asked, joking. "This close to death you can trust I won't tell anyone anything."

This made Snape gave him a nasty, Slytherin look.

"Only if I get to ask you about your love life first, to every excruciating detail I can think of."

"So let's just talk about the weather instead," Harry said, and there was a silence after that.

"You know, it's not true," Snape then said after minutes. Since he didn't add any more information, Harry's mind went to the talk in the library with his friends, saying that Snape was rubbish in bed, and how he might have overheard it.

"That you are…?"

"I didn't sleep with Matilda," Snape said. "I guess when she realized she had different expectations than me, she wanted to save some face in front of her friends, but it never happened."

"Oh," was all Harry could say. Then. "Why, what kind of expectations did she have?"

"I hear Charlie Weasley amazes a good number of people in various clubs with his Quidditch toned muscles nowadays," Snape, of course, didn't answer. "Can you confirm?"

Harry tried not to think about said muscles and failed. He hoped the dark hid his blush, but Snape seemed to know about everything anyway.

"Do you think you'll date older witches now because you couldn't make it work with Matilda?" he rather chose to ask. It was almost like a game. Even no answer sometimes was an answer, if the other person gave something away with their expression, voice or gestures.

"Does he flirt with you, even though he knows you dated his sister first? Doesn't he resemble your friend Ron too much sometimes, only with longer hair?"

Both questions were too low. So Harry wasn't ashamed to sink to that level either.

"Have you ever slept with anyone after what happened with you and my mom?"

"I'm not a virgin, Potter," Snape couldn't let this go. "Even if I must admit it wasn't an especially good experience when I first had sex."

Harry couldn't help but feel smug. Snape's Slytherin pride was hurt, so Harry "won". He got the information Snape probably didn't mean to share but Harry was curious to know. In return, he decided to also answer a previous question.

"If I'm being honest, I tried hard not to be attracted to Charlie. His smile doesn't seem to help my case."

"And his muscles," Snape added.

"Maybe not," Harry agreed. "Nor the thought that if someone has to be my first, I know I could trust him fully."

Harry knew he just supplied Snape with insight into his most private thoughts, but fair was fair.

"He is a very genuine and open person," Snape said. "You could certainly do worse. Too bad we'll probably die in here."

"I know what we should do," it gave Harry an idea. "Tempt Fate with a good story."

"This either will be brilliant or utter… or not brilliant in the slightest," Snape sighed.

"You know the story of One Thousand and One Nights? We could promise to do something extraordinary we would otherwise never do, should we survive this," Harry explained. "So maybe Fate will be too curious to off us. And even if we were to live anyway, we could still benefit from getting the courage to do something new, if you know what I mean."

"I get it now, Harry," Snape said. "I took you for a fool, when in fact you were just the reincarnation of Godric Gryffindor all along."

"I would ask Charlie out on a real date. Just us, no Ginny," Harry ignored the insult.

"I'm already living the life I want, being given a second chance puts things into perspective," Snape shrugged.

"There must be something," Harry insisted.

"I learn about everything I can, I don't need to be trapped with you in a room to start doing that," Snape added. Harry believed it. He saw Snape with books and books and books, every day. But also…

"I remember my first year. You were almost as stiff on a broom as Neville, and since then even he got better because he had practice. Maybe I could teach you if we get out of here," he added the last part because by then he realized how much it sounded like an insult.

"And you would teach me? With your fellow Gryffindor Quidditch team members?"

"I wouldn't train you with them," Harry said. "But you are dueling me as a favor in the DADA club, so we could consider it a payback."

And a way for Harry to secretly feel a bit smug about Snape not being adept in _everything_ after all.

"I'd rather just get out here," Snape stepped to the other corner of the small room, inspecting the walls. Just when there was a loud bang coming from the wall behind them. And then another.

"Hello?" Harry tried, hoping it wasn't yet another device of their impending doom, creeping upon them with one heart-stopping thud at a time.

"'Arry?" Hagrid yelled from the other side. "Jus' sit tight, we're comin' to get ye."

Finally, it turned out to be a sledgehammer Hagrid was wielding, and he soon broke down the wall. They were reunited with McGonagall, Slughorn, Ginny, Luna, and Hermione.

"We have already taken care of the Fire and the creatures, so you better retire to your rooms, gentlemen," the Headmistress noted, which was probably just her way of saying she was glad they were okay.

Harry felt he could use a shower, a cool drink from the kitchen, and a good sleep, so he wasn't about to argue, only stopping to thank Hagrid for saving them.

"Wait, I'm in," Snape called after him. "I'd have lessons if you really wouldn't mind teaching me."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember, reading fanfics at home is safe. As all of you, hopefully. <3

Snape, the conversationalist? Never. Except when it was conversation or flying, Harry noticed the other wizard tried everything to escape it.

“Have you asked Charlie out yet?” he inquired.

It was a nightmare, finding time for it in Snape’s busy schedule, and he refused to practice when others were around to “laugh at him”. So that left only Saturday morning, and Tuesday late at night. 

Friday nights were dance nights, so they had to move that, or Harry wouldn’t be able to get up so early on Saturday morning. Charlie was on duty on Saturday nights, and if they went Sunday nights, by Monday Harry could barely keep his eyes open during his classes.

“Not yet, but I will,” Harry quickly admitted so they could proceed without distractions. “You can have my broom, and I'll use the one you picked. So how about heights? Are you afraid of them, or is it just flying?”

He kicked himself off and quickly gained a good 100 feet distance from the ground. Snape followed, but he already had an unpleasant scorn on his face.

“You are hesitant perhaps, because he’s already shown interest in you, and you know he wouldn't say no. Maybe you feel it’s too fast or is it because you lack confidence?” he was reading Harry. Who was trying hard not to find Snape’s posture on the broom too hilarious, ignoring the question.

“You’re gripping the broom as if you want to choke the life out of it,” he warned Snape. “And your shoulders don’t need to be drawn up to your ears for you to stay airborne. Try to take a deep breath and let your face muscles relax as well. You look positively murderous.”

Snape did relax a bit, but the next minute he lost his balance and tensed up again, Harry saw. He was the intellectual type worrying over technical details in the air, like Hermione. So they needed a distraction.

“Okay, much better,” he appreciated that Snape listened to him, at least. “Now, why don’t we start with the simplest game: tag.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Snape declared. 

“Race you to the hoops then, first, as a warm-up,” Harry smiled. “On three.”

It took 2 races for Snape to realize his broom (Harry's own) was a better model and therefore faster, and he won the third round just by an inch. Which was what Harry wanted for him to figure right from the start.

“Good. Come and try to catch me then, without falling off your broom,” Harry said.

“I bet you say that to all the wizards you meet,” Snape noted, rolling his eyes. Which meant he wasn’t looking down at the ground all the time anymore, secure enough to hover in one place.

So Harry tried a few turns, seeing how far he could push the old broom before it would fell apart, and drifted away from him. It still took Snape almost fourteen minutes to finally catch Harry, who wasn’t trying any trickier moves.

But there was a certain slow progress Harry could see, and to his surprise, Snape’s face was not only less guarded now but had some color in it. And Snape was better at evading Harry trying to catch him, using a stance on the broom not unlike the one he used for dueling, and his calculating eyes seeing through most of Harry’s moves before he could make them.

“I just hope you’re not holding back on my account,” he told Harry later, smug when he felt a bit more comfortable. Harry surmised it meant Snape was more competitive than terrified of flying, so it gave Harry an edge to exploit.

“I won’t,” Harry told him and finally begin to fly a bit less restrained. In the end, they had been flying for 2 hours before Harry noticed how much time had passed, and announced they were done with their first-ever “lesson”.

By the time the landed on the ground, Snape’s legs buckled under him, but luckily Harry caught him by reflex.

“I guess I didn’t realize how exhausting flying can be if you take it seriously,” Snape noted, laughing at his own embarrassment, which was so unlike him. And from up so close, with an entertained expression and some color in his cheeks, he almost looked… _attractive_?

Harry broke eye-contact quickly and expected he'd be let go, but as Snape regained his balance, he only pulled Harry to a kiss. Harry also felt their bodies connect, as he stepped even closer, and Snape grunted eagerly into the kiss as if he was ready to devour Harry right there and then.

Which ultimately made Harry realize what they were doing, so he took a hurried step back. The kiss was so intensive, he felt light-headed as if it was him who couldn’t feel his feet soundly on the ground.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have,” Snape said, his cheery demeanor gone. “Maybe it’s better if I ask Ginny to teach me how to fly instead or just quit.”

“I don’t get it,” Harry barely could speak. “You were… my mom… you aren’t gay!”

“No, but I have dated a wizard before, for years. I don’t mind either gender, but it wasn’t my intention to tell you, nor to attack you out of nowhere,” Snape told him.

“It wasn’t… I encouraged it,” Harry quickly said. His heart was still beating fast, and not because he was forced. If anything, he broke the kiss because it made him dizzy, just realizing Snape could find him attractive. “Who was it?”

“I’d rather not drag dead people into this,” Snape turned in the direction of the showers.

“You mean… Dumbledore?” Harry couldn’t just let it go.

“Merlin no,” Snape said, and seeing it won’t be enough for Harry to believe him, he added. “Regulus Black. But if you tell anybody about this, I’ll murder you.”

Snape threatening him at least was familiar, just as closing himself off behind numerous walls.

“We’ll continue the practice, and completely forget this ever happened,” Harry announced his best idea. He didn't want to lose their newfound companionship over just a stupid mistake.

“What did?” Snape asked, giving Harry his broom back, and heading to the showers where Harry didn’t follow. His mind was still reeling at the information he just got.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully, the current situation will once pass. Until then, everyone please try to stay safe. *sends hugs*

“He did WHAT?!” shrieked Ginny so loud that suddenly every eye was on them. McGonagall gave them a strict look from behind her spectacles.

“You both could have died! That’s extreme, even for Charlie,” Ginny dropped her voice. "He must like you very much."

“It was completely safe. He magnified the Bubblehead charm to cover both of us before Apparating, and he had a Portkey to home the whole time,” he explained to Ginny with a grin.

Truth to be told, when Charlie didn’t tell him where they were going and Apparated them to the Moon(!), Harry didn’t know what to think.

For one, he was amazed. And not just because it probably took a ginormous effort magically to Apparate them that far and accurately, along with the Bubble. 

It was rather because no one wanted to impress Harry so much to use this amount of power just for a memorable date before.

On the other hand, for a couple of minutes after Harry registered they weren’t on Earth anymore (bye-bye Kansas), he certainly had to squeeze Charlie’s hand a little bit tighter to keep himself from hyperventilating.

He was the famous Harry Potter, but he was never that scared in his life, not even when he walked up to Voldemort.

“I would beg to differ,” Hermione shook her head, joining in. “If you have been caught, you could have been arrested. There are strict laws against Apparating anywhere you have not been before, and even if Charlie has seen the Moon from Earth, he could have easily misjudged the distance! And given that you didn’t even know what he was up to, he risked your life as well as his, without so much as your consent.”

“I’m sorry that you chose to date a boring Weasley, Hermione, but I trust Charlie,” Harry felt defensive, even though he kept his tone more joking than serious saying Ron was boring because he wasn't. He just wasn't like Charlie. “He had already Apparated there once anyway when he had to retake his Apparation exam. Thinking if he could travel to the Moon and back he could surely make it the next time.”

“Just because you survived Voldemort once doesn’t mean you were an accomplished duelist who could face him again without concern, does it?” Snape also chose to chime in. “Charlie is an adult who should know the risks. It’s a miracle he didn’t run out of magic, not to mention that the Bubblehead charm didn’t burst around you. Covering you both it must have had a large surface area. And some people theorize that the Moon doesn’t have any magic, so you could have been stuck there. Not for long, because you would have died quickly, but still.”

Harry frowned. The date itself went so great in the end, it felt almost like a dream. Harry wouldn’t even care if it was truly dangerous. Which it wasn’t. Just a little bit exhilarating.

“Well, as I understand it, if a lot of people concentrate on a place, person, or an object, it gathers power, so the Moon should be an especially magical planet, arguably even more so than Earth. Take how it affects the werewolves,” he tried to rebut Snape's theories.

“Did you try any spells on its surface?” Snape wasn't known to be wrong, nor the one who would keep his opinion about Harry's actions to himself. “The laws Hermione mentioned are there for a reason. First of all, there is a theory that magic comes from people and the four elements. All the energy Muggles create by existing, and elements that surround us, magicians absorb and use. If this was true, your Bubble charm would have burst upon arrival, and the Portkey would have lost its efficiency completely.”

“We aren’t leeching on Muggle’s for magic,” Harry didn't know this but felt it couldn't be true. His magic never seemed anything foreign or borrowed.

“In a sense, no,” Snape said. “Recent experiments of the Ministry prove there is more to it we don't know yet, but if it was true, the Moon and space is completely void people and elements and therefore would be completely barren magically.”

“It wasn’t.”

“There seems to be a more advanced theory now expanding the one I mentioned. Magicians may draw from sources around them, which can be done on Earth, or also draw from another source.”

“Which is?” Harry asked.

“It seems great magic comes from personal memories. Especially the dark and painful ones, because they carry such an emotional charge.”

Now Harry was staring at Severus, who was gazing intently back at him.

“Are you trying to say Charlie is hiding a terrible secret from me?” he questioned Snape.

“He isn’t!” Ginny snapped. “I know him with all his super-annoying habits, but if anything, he's often too honest!”

“All I’m saying Charlie might have not passed his Apparation exam first because he has a natural talent, and his power was too great for the simple test. After all, he managed to get to the Moon from the energy he accumulated on the Earth, and the Bubble could have kept the Portkey's accumulated magic safe for a short period of time, but it was still extremely reckless and stupid. And if Harry felt magic on the Moon, it’s source could have been inside him, not around him,” Snape said.

“I don’t have a terrible secret either,” Harry said. He had parts of his life he discussed only with a few people, but somehow he felt Snape crossed the line. Even though he was talking about the inner workings of magic, not directly Charlie, Harry still took offense Snape calling him names. “And just so you know, he promised to show me the dragons next time, and only from a safe distance after a romantic dinner, so as much as everyone seems to be concerned about my well being, there’s really no need.”

He almost dared Snape to comment on that, but he didn't.


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: an upcoming scene of CharliexHarry chapter with some PWP. It's the "necessary evil" to advance the plot to the Snarry direction.

“Just know, if the Prophet prints someone broke the famous Harry Potter, we’ll tell everyone it was you.”

Charlie’s friends were great. A bit like the Weasley twins, they adopted Harry right away and kept teasing him the whole time they had dinner with them.

“I’m planning to keep him mostly safe, calm down!” Charlie just declared, pulling Harry close, who just laughed. “But I’m not going to share him with you any longer.”

Harry just blinked at him, and Charlie just smiled.

“I want to show you the dragons, come on,” he said, and the best part was that his charming boyfriend was leading him by the hand. He looked even hotter when he was talking enthusiastically about dragons, Harry noticed.

Then, Charlie also had to show Harry the tent he was living in, which somehow led to Charlie kissing Harry on his bed, which led to a quick blowjob, and when Harry tried to reciprocate, Charlie stoped him.

“I don’t want to rush you to anything. I just wanted to make you feel good tonight. Hopefully, we’ll have plenty of opportunities like this.”

“But I want you,” Harry found himself saying, even before Charlie has finished his sentence. “And I’m ready. Although you’d have to show me everything I suppose…”

“Harry, as much as I love to hear that, and am tempted to _show you_ , I don’t think you’re thinking clearly.”

“Of course not, because I’m too attracted to you to do that,” Harry chuckled and tried to kiss the Dragon Tamer, who just frowned.

“A lot of gay couples just rarely have penetrative sex,” Charlie declared. “And even if we decide we should, I’d rather wait.”

“Well, I don’t want to,” Harry felt rejected for some reason.

It wasn’t in his plans that he’d lose his virginity to Charlie that particular night and his heart was racing thinking about it, but that was normal when he was with Charlie.

The older Weasley always had found a way to get Harry’s adrenalin pumping, but at the same time, watched over Harry so he didn’t have to fear anything new.

And they were already in Charlie’s bed, and given how Charlie was dating heavily in the Muggle clubs for years now, Harry couldn’t help but feel Charlie was stomping on the breaks only for Harry’s benefit. But he didn’t need any of that, he had been dreaming of this happening, even if not so soon.

“If I was just any other male in the club and not someone who is known by your family, would you even hesitate?” Harry asked. “I’m over 18, even if I’m inexperienced, I’m not going to break. Or is that even Charlie Weasley is afraid of something?”

Harry saw the dark warning look in Charlie’s eyes, but he only felt smug, because it meant he might just get what he wanted.

“Would you prefer I begged? Or if I went out with someone else, a Muggle stranger, because my boyfriend was too chickened out to do it?” Harry was asking one second, and the next, Charlie was pouncing on him, making him unable to speak.

And although Charlie did regain his usual calm self after a couple of minutes, they were both too far gone to stop then.

It certainly wasn’t as Harry expected it to be, but even just seeing how turned on Charlie was by him was enough to push him over the edge.

And unlike a Muggle stranger, Charlie knew spells that could be used, and was kissing Harry tenderly when it got uncomfortable for him, and even after they finished.

“Are you certain you’re alright?”

“For the hundredth time, yes, I’m more than that. I think we could do this again,” Harry kissed the wizard with a content smile. He imagined sex could only get better if Harry quickly was educated in all the things Charlie already had tried.

“We could, but I know you’ll tell Ginny everything, and she’s going to kill me,” Charlie gave him a small kiss. “Although I guess there are worse ways to go.”

Harry laughed, enjoying kissing Charlie back.

“It can also happen that McGonagall would off me first,” he mentioned. “She was fairly upset when I told her I won’t apply for an apprenticeship after Hogwarts, and I think she still hopes I’ll change my mind. But I want to travel for a while. Anything else cannot compare.”

“Maybe you should rethink it. Take it from someone who lives in a tent, sometimes it’s not so bad to settle, and have a real bed to sleep in,” he told Harry what the Boy Who Lived had already heard from McGonagall, Hermione, and Ginny plenty of times the last week.

“I could still come and visit,” Harry grinned. “Or maybe you could Apparate over to _my tent._ ”

Actually, it was Charlie who made Harry realize he didn’t want to just decide right now. When he took Harry to the Moon, Harry figured he still knew relatively nothing about Magic, and he was never like Hermione or Snape, who could just learn from books. He needed to learn by doing. 

“Next thing I know, you’ll turn into Lockhart,” Charlie noted, but he had a grin matching Harry’s own. “I don’t think I’d be able to date you any longer then.”

“If I ever turn out to be anything like him, you have my permission to just shoot me,” Harry offered.

“I have always wondered how Muggle guns work. But you can’t seem to just buy one from the stores, so I couldn’t try,” Charlie said. Harry gave him a look of disbelief, but when he saw Charlie was serious, he just laughed.

“I’m sure I could fake a Muggle permit with magic if you wanted to have target practice.”

“Sounds like a perfect next date.”

Harry was glad. Maybe he could also teach Charlie about a couple of new things, not just the other way around.


	19. Chapter 19

Severus showed up for his Quidditch practice half an hour late, making Harry note.

“If you know you’re going to be late, next time maybe you could-“

“I thought you wouldn't show for these lessons anymore,” Snape said. “Be as it may, I was looking for you. There is an emergency.”

“Why wouldn't I?” Harry asked, but he then guessed. 

Since a-trip-to-the-Moon-is-way-too-dangerous conversation, Harry felt weary about everyone judging Charlie. So he kept a little bit more distance from all of his friends, maybe.

And he was busy going on dates with him, which meant he might have skipped a couple of DADA and Gobstone club meetings, but not to avoid Severus.

Maybe he should tell Snape that?

Rather than dwelling on it, he decided to concentrate on the easily fixable task first.

“It's Hogwarts, you have to be more specific. What kind of emergency?” he asked.

“As you know, some of the plants Hagrid brought to the castle are dangerous Potion ingredients,” Snape explained. “Luna and I have been taking care of them, and I suspect Slughorn also helped us with some of the harvests. But it isn’t natural for some species to be planted so close and indoors, so now we have a problem.”

Harry started walking, understanding Severus could explain the rest while they got back to the castle.

“Let me guess. Some of the most dangerous plants pollinated each other, and they will kill everyone in the castle soon,” Harry said, mostly just joking.

“You could have warned me,” Severus noted. “I must admit, I’m ashamed I only realized it today, but it’s a full moon tonight, which means-“

“It was just a lucky guess,” Harry quickly said. “You just mentioned closed-space, and I have been friends with Hagrid for a long time to know how his best intentions work out sometimes.”

“Imagine what you could conclude about magic if you knew the material covered by the curriculum well enough, then,” Severus noted.

It was an insult, but also a compliment. As if Snape just praised Harry for not being as dumb as he previously thought.

“I care about people more than books, unfortunately,” Harry laughed.

It was surprising, but maybe he missed the bants with Snape, just a little.

“Too bad there aren’t any official qualifications that would require you to list all the charming traits Charlie Weasley has,” Snape carried on with the joke. And Harry couldn't shake the feeling that by only mentioning charming in the context of Charlie, Severus was trying to get back on Harry’s good side.

To acknowledge that but also because he wanted to tell someone so badly for weeks now, Harry added.

“Or, his favorite positions in bed.”

“An entertaining essay I'm sure, although it could be difficult to mark it,” Snape said, and before Harry could answer, they came to a sudden halt.

“Neville, this is a nice surprise! What are you doing here?” Harry found himself happy to see his old friend, who just sent a timid look along their direction.

“Professor Snape invited me.”

“I’m not a professor anymore," Snape said. 

"Mr. Snape."

"Severus, if you don’t mind?” Severus even had a non-threatening face as he told Neville. "I'd rather not waste time with unnecessary formalities. Pomona is too busy replanting a batch of Mandrakes, but I fear this can't wait, so you're doing me a favor, _Mr. Longbottom_."

"Of course. You can also call me Neville," Neville agreed.

“How is the apprenticeship in Japan treating you?” Harry was just happy to be able to see his friend.

“Mahoutokoro is amazing, maybe you could visit sometime,” Neville smiled. “They have such a diversity of magical plants, you can’t even imagine! For instance, there was this legend about…”

Just seeing how cheerful and animated Neville was while talking made Harry smile. When they met up with Luna next to the biggest magical pot in the Great Hall, Harry was disappointed not to hear the end of the story.

“Based on my tests, the good news is that this new species might be a more powerful sedative than it's ancestor, one we haven’t seen before…”

“But the bad news is...?” Snape asked.

“Worse case scenario?” Neville pointed at the buds on the stem. “It's possible the pollen can make people faint if not fall into a coma, sedating them. And it's more than likely it will bloom tonight, since—“

“It’s full-moon,” Severus finished.

“That’s what we were afraid of,” Luna added. “It means we have less than a day to destroy all such plants except a few we could keep as research, and reorganize all the pots. So we don't have to repeat this every month. Or have another emergency with some other ingredients.”

“For which we’d also like your help, Neville,” Snape nodded. “I can claim if asked later that planting potion ingredients in the castle has proved to be beneficial, but only if it doesn’t kill too many students. The School Board for some reason doesn’t like to hear about that.”

It was a good icebreaker, making Neville laugh the loudest.

Leaving such an impression, that when they split up to cover more ground, Neville started talking about Snape.

“He changed. I almost wouldn’t recognize him, you know.”

“I think the only difference now that he’s trying, and before he both couldn't and didn’t,” Harry reflected after taking a moving staircase to get to a lower level.

“As Luna tells me. That’s why I came when I got the owl,” Neville admitted. “But there is a difference between acting civil because he has to and cracking jokes, you know.”

“I think there is also a reason for that,” Harry said, as they found another pot. 

It didn’t contain any of the new deadly plant. So Neville only listed the species in the pot, giving it a number. 

All Harry got to do is write that number on their map, so they could find it later if any rearrangement was needed.

“I think so too,” Neville added, once they were both done. “It seems like he wants to make a really good impression on a certain someone.”

Harry almost thought Neville heard about Matilda at first. Only because Ron's similar question did he understand Neville meant him.

“Or, now that the war is finally over, everything changed, don’t you think?” Harry suggested, but Neville only smiled with a small shrug.

“If you say so.”

“Why do I have to keep telling people I can be friends with Snape without us killing or shagging each other?” Harry turned his back only to tell him.

As luck would have it, he wasn’t even that surprised when he turned back and Snape and Luna were there, coming down on the stairs.

“What people?” Snape only asked since it was clear for all of them they heard. “You’ll have to tell me about that later. Once the castle is no longer deadly.”

When they parted ways again, Neville didn’t even mention the encounter but didn’t stop grinning either. With a "what-did-I-just-say?" expression.

“ _Oh shut up,_ ” Harry just shook his head. “I’m seeing Charlie Weasley anyway.”

“And tell me, what does that have to do with Snape and his behavior?” Neville let out a laugh. “Are you sure he had this crush on your mom, not your dad?”

Harry couldn’t help but think how Severus admittedly didn’t care about gender. Neville didn’t know, and Harry wasn’t going to encourage him either.

“I enjoyed listening to your stories more,” he told Neville, hoping it meant less teasing about Snape.

“I bet you did. My life is unbelievable interesting now,” Neville said.

Harry just followed him laughing. As if Neville's life before wasn't interesting enough.

But he had to admit, there was a difference between "interesting, we almost died again" and "interesting, I could write an academic paper about this", as Neville went back to his previous story, while they carried on cataloging.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 20: Where something important gets revealed.

Graduating was harder than all the exams they had to successfully pass to do it.

McGonagall invited George and Ron back, who threw the best party in the Gryffindor Common Room, not just for Gryffindors, and not just for seventh-years either.

Apparently, George could even pass for a talented DJ, drunken Gobstone tournaments were a thing now, and even McGonagall could wear different clothes once in a while, and have fun.

Hermione got so wasted she kept telling the grinning Ron how much she missed him, then reinforced the sentiment by snogging him every couple of minutes, Luna was dancing through the night first with the Headmistress, then Neville and Ginny made unpleasant noises every time they were trying to have a conversation, and she had to witness Hermione and Ron kissing.

“I have a new drinking game idea,” Ginny announced when Harry’s best friends started their antics once again.

“I think we’ve all had quite many already,” Snape declared dryly. “One more drink and the Headmistress will turn herself into a cat just for show.”

“A Knut says she’s already there,” Ron reappeared to the world, already eager to win some money.

“Deal.”

“No, _mom_ , we didn’t dance yet, and the game is supposed to bring back memories. Point is, you have to drink for all the times you almost died here in the castle,” Ginny wasn’t sober either, talking to Severus as if they were an old, grumpy married couple, who gave her a nasty look in turn.

“Are you trying to get me drunk?” Harry asked. 

The lights and the music and the alcohol made him both incredibly sad that he was leaving Hogwarts, and also quite happy and excited to see what’s coming next.

“Maybe it’s not the worst game and it can be therapeutic. Does actually dying worth more drinks?” Snape wondered next.

“If you think you have an edge on us, we’ll prove you wrong,” Hermione warned.

“I did die and come back,” Harry blurted, a part of the whole ending the war story he practically never mentioned. It could have killed the mood, but Ginny wouldn’t let it.

“A strong contender, indeed, but have I mentioned my first boyfriend ever was technically Voldemort? In written form only? How many drinks does that buy me?”

Not that anyone was buying the drinks. McGonagall and George struck a good deal on them weeks before.

“Good times, good times. Like the task of defeating the troll first year,” Ron pointed out. “Hermione was trying to hide under a sink, Harry was in the hands of the beast, and I was yet to know a spell…”

“I wouldn’t brag about that Ron,” Ginny laughed. “And you keep bringing it up because it’s the only year I wasn’t here.”

“That’s-“

“Remember, when we had kept scores on how many students were put to sleep during classes in one week?” Hermione tried to diffuse the tension.

“That was only you, ‘Mione,” Ron told her. “I remember sneaking to the kitchen with the twins and Harry ever so often.”

“And the DADA club. I think I’ll miss the crew,” Ginny added.

“I was set on fire in our first year,” Snape joined the conversation as if he had been their classmate all along, keeping a straight face while everyone was laughing at his comment. “Got cursed by a student in third, someone stealing from my inventory more than once, and-“

“Hey, remember the unpleasant Potions Teacher we _should have_ put on fire, what was his name?” Ron was both brave and foolish enough to start picking on Snape in turn.

“I’ll help you out, Weasley, before you hurt yourself, he’s called Slughorn,” Severus only said, making Ginny laugh the loudest.

“Sev, you don’t know how much we need some to stop Ron at family lunches when he is talking a bunch nonsense,” Ginny then noted. “You should come ever so often to visit and put him into his place.”

“Maybe sometimes I shall visit, if Molly and Arthur don’t mind,” Snape didn't even need much convincing to accept.

“As I want to see all of you, you hear me?” Ginny told their group, but only pinched Harry while saying as if he would skip visiting the Weasleys whenever he could. “Owl, Apparate, Floo-call, I don’t care, but you have to! And now we dance to celebrate!”

“I was thinking about leaving the party, actually,” Snape mentioned.

“What are you, 10? Keeping the 8 o’clock bedtime?” Ginny just shunned him.

“It’s half past one in the morning.”

“And I’m planning to make lasting memories until the sun comes up, or we pass out, whichever comes first,” Ginny was adamant, pulling him into the dance floor.

It was George who noticed how much traffic the dance-floor got, and decided to host a dancing competition for a price - a pack of Every Flavour Beans blessed by the DJ, of course.

So, until 3 it dragged on - Ginny was a strong dancer, but finally had to graciously admit defeat to a third-year Hupplepuff who did Muggle gymnastic before Hogwarts and could still perform some crowd-enticing tricks.

By 4 o’clock, Hermione and Ron had disappeared, and Luna was sleeping in an armchair, and Ginny excused herself to the toilet but forgot to return.

So, from their gang, only Harry and Severus remained on the dancefloor, and it was being so tired and drunk (just as possibly as Goerge was, playing much slower music by then), it was almost just a coincidence that they ended up slow-dancing together.

Not that it meant anything. They were talking and pulling out funnily theatrical moves simultaneously, not hitting on each other.

Which made Harry wonder how they were indeed friends, and how absurd it would have been in the past even just if somebody told him they would be.

“You know, I must confess one thing,” Severus then told him. “Now that our year is over, and the only place we’ll probably have a chance to meet is the Weasleys, where you’d be with your boyfriend, I’d rather just say it now.”

“Oh, okay,” Harry didn’t know what this was about but trusted Snape’s judgment.

“I might have been hitting on you this year. Engineering situations where I thought I could win you over. Clearly, I was unsuccessful, but I don’t want it to become awkward, so—“

“You… you didn’t hit on me. I would have noticed,” Harry was confused now. “And you don’t even like me.”

“At first, I think I wanted to teach you a lesson by making you fall for me. Then, I got caught in my trap instead,” Severus explained, looking into his eyes, and Harry had a general feeling he wasn’t lying.

“But… even if that was true, you didn’t ‘engineer’ anything…”

“I bespelled your Gobstones to give you different challenges whenever I was around. I attended all the ridiculous activities you proposed, became friends with your friends, tried to keep you from going to dance at the weekends with Charlie by proposing an early Quidditch practice, kissed you, tried to make you jealous with Matilda - should I go on? Sometimes I thought you knew…For what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

Harry wasn’t surprised a Slytherin would cheat in a game like Gobstones. Or that Snape would try to get some kind of twisted revenge on him by trying to seduce him. But him feeling something for Harry?

Yet, all his friends seem to have that idea, for some reason, and why would Severus lie when they will only meet scarcely?

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“I see how happy you are with Charlie. I don’t want it to be a conflict when we all attend a Weasley lunch. Ginny is my best friend, and I would like to visit, but I also don’t want Charlie to feel… threatened by me? So I figured it’s best to just put it out on the open. And maybe also, for one night, I wanted you to see me - the real me.”

Harry didn’t know if he would have let Snape kiss him goodbye then, in front of George no less, but luckily, Severus only give him a peck on the cheek and left.

It was a relief, yet Harry was still in shock, and maybe a little bit unsettled, if not disappointed.


End file.
